Alex de Minaur survives scare, reaches Antwerp QFs | ATP Tour

Match Report

De Minaur survives scare, reaches Antwerp QFs

Auger-Aliassime, Bautista Agut transfer on at ATP 250 hard-court occasion 

October 16, 2024

Might Alex de Minaur be set to ignite a late cost to qualify for his maiden look on the Nitto ATP Finals?

The 25-year-old dug deep to outlive a scare Wednesday on the European Open in Antwerp to assert a victory upon return to tour-level motion. De Minaur received off to a sluggish begin in his first match because the US Open quarter-finals however rallied from a set all the way down to defeat Roberto Carballes Baena 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to ebook his spot within the final eight.

“It’s by no means simple getting back from damage, so I’m pleased I used to be capable of win right now,” mentioned de Minaur, who has been nursing a hip damage that pressured him out of the Asian swing. “It took loads of struggle and energy, so I’m pleased to get a primary win right here in Antwerp.

“The match is rarely over till the final level, that’s what I all the time inform myself. I’m all the time going to compete till the very finish and it’s helped me win loads of matches, so I higher hold doing it.”

De Minaur is at the moment ninth within the PIF ATP Dwell Race To Turin, 425 factors behind eighth-placed Andrey Rublev, who’s in motion Thursday in Stockholm. The Australian, who reached the 2020 last in Antwerp, started to search out his rhythm within the second set, throughout which he gained 83 per cent (10/12) of factors behind his first serve, however finally clicked into gear in a gruelling deciding set, prevailing in two hours, 18 minutes.

The highest seed will subsequent face Hugo Gaston, who edged Mariano Navone in an exciting second-round conflict. The Frenchman held his nerve to earn a 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(4) triumph in two hours, 50 minutes.

Earlier, Roberto Bautista Agut produced a steely efficiency towards Tomas Martin Etcheverry to develop into the oldest quarter-finalist in Antwerp event historical past. The 36-year-old Spaniard claimed a commanding 7-6(2), 6-4 win within the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head assembly.

Third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime closed the day by rallying previous Marton Fucsovics 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2. The Canadian typically utilized strain on Fucsovics’ serve and created 13 break possibilities, changing three of them, in accordance with Infosys ATP Stats. Auger-Aliassime broke for the primary time at 3-3 within the second set and constructed upon his momentum to enhance to 3-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head collection with Fucsovics.